Normal service has been resumed!

Well hopefully I am back and on track.  After almost 12 months of weekly blogging, as you know, I have had a few disrupted weeks.  My old laptop is hopefully working again (won't go into detail but it invovles rejecting the new windows software, then having to use encrypted software for a while - which never worked and then the google rejection of photos.  Thanks for your advice and I have just gone ahead a paid for some more memory - more profit for Google not to give any tax on!.  I've also had a really tiring couple of weeks which included 4 days away from home working - I really don't envy jobs where you have to do this a lot.  Anyway things are getting back to normal.

I still haven't finished my jacket (next week maybe) but I am in the middle of blocking it.  Tess thought it might help if she added her weight.

I have done a little Xmas crafting.  First a photo of the advent calendar for Dan and Gemma, which they still haven't got ..... and here's a confession ... I've eaten most of the chocolates and I'll have to buy some more.

We have also dressed a tree at Kendal Parish Church for work so I thought I should make a few ornaments.  I used waste canvas  for the first time to cross-stitch some snowflakes onto felt hearts. 

Then you have to pull out the strands with tweezers ...

 

 

Then just stitched round the edges, added some gingham ribbon and a button.

 

 

They turned out quite nice and I have held on to a couple for my own tree.  I'll definitely use waste canvas again.

As I can now add photos again - a couple of belated ones from a great trip to the antiques centre in Lancaster.    Its a massive antique market with lots of wonderful things.

 

We were rather taken with this jacket on Dan ..... can't believe we couldn't buy it though because it didn't have a price on it.

Meg has taken her transformation into a dog a little further ... you may remember she goes on the dog walks when she can ...   (this was in May in case you're thinking our weather is great .... it's not!)

now she had pinched one of the dog beds for herself ...

though speaking of dog beds Tess has found a new hobby - eating them -  this is the second one!

Its been a lovely sunny weekend - so much nicer than the rain even if it is cold.  So lets hope its a good week and that your Christmas preparations are going well.  Dan and Gemma are home next weekend, so can't wait!